Danny Soufi and Pavel Lefterov win again in race two at the Nürburgring. All four Mücke youngsters on the podium. Trophy title goes to Thomas Ambiel with races to come.
At the end of the tenth race of this season’s Prototype Cup Germany, it was once again Danny Soufi (22/USA) and Pavel Lefterov (27/BUL, both Konrad Motorsport) who were left celebrating. And this time, the celebrations were even louder, as the Bulgarian/American pairing had wrapped up the title in the 2025 Prototype Cup Germany with races still to come. “I am happy and also relieved to have done it here, after yesterday’s victory had brought us so close,” said a beaming Soufi, who has been racing in the Prototype Cup Germany since the German LMP3 series was launched in 2022. Lefterov was also delighted: “It is obviously special to be crowned champion in my first season in the LMP3 class. The team always provided us with a great car and Danny was the perfect team-mate for me. He is fast and we also get along very well as people.” Second place in the race at the Nürburgring went to the best Juniors, Riccardo Leone Cirelli (17/ITA) and Mattias Bjerre Jakobsen (18/DEN), ahead of Mattis Pluschkell (21/Elmenhorst) and Maksymilian Angelard (18/POL, all BWT Mücke Motorsport). In the Trophy competition, Thomas Ambiel (45/Eppingen, Rinaldi Racing) took revenge for yesterday’s defeat to Michael Herich (48/Brühl, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport) and took victory ahead of the Gebhardt driver. That win means the Rinaldi protégé can no longer be denied the title in the Trophy classification.
Lefterov took the lead at the start, while Cirelli came out on top after an opening-lap battle for second place with Alexzander Kristiansson (25/SWE, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport). When Jérémy Siffert (22/SUI, Badischer Motorsport Club) spun and hit the crash barrier, the Safety Car was deployed. However, the order at the head of the field remained unchanged after the restart. Kristiansson now had to keep an eye on Maxim Dirickx (21/BEL, Aust Motorsport) in his rear-view mirror, while fifth-placed Zino-Ferret Fahlke (18/Hergiswil, Konrad Motorsport) could not afford to make a mistake, as Angelard was lurking right behind him.
After the pit stops, Lefterov’s partner Soufi found himself in the lead, while Cirelli’s team-mate Jakobsen rejoined in second place again. However, there was a change in third place, as the longer stationary time for Kristiansson, who handed over to Oscar Tunjo (29/COL, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport), allowed Dirickx and Sven Barth (44/Eberbach, Aust Motorsport) to climb one position. In the meantime, Pluschkell was closing in fast from behind. He first overtook Ambiel and then set off in pursuit of Barth. The 21-year-old attacked the Aust driver on the final lap, the experienced racer defended his position and Pluschkell spun. A five-second penalty for causing the collision ultimately saw Barth and Dirickx relegated to fifth place. That left Pluschkell and Angelard to inherit third place, ahead of Tunjo and Kristiansson. Fahlke crossed the finish line in sixth place, followed by Ambiel and the duo of Herich and Mikkel C. Johansen (38/DEN, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsport).
Riccardo Leone Cirelli (runner-up): “Today’s race was a step forward for us, as it took far longer than yesterday for the tyres to deteriorate. However, the Safety Car phase definitely helped us in that regard. Generally speaking, I am happy with second place, as it was the best we could do today.”
Mattias Bjerre Jakobsen (runner-up): “I lost a bit of time during the pit stop, because I perhaps reacted a little slowly and did not get away ideally. In the end, however, it was good enough for our second podium of the weekend. The team did a good job, which allowed us to improve from one session to the next.”
Maksymilian Angelard (third): “The weekend was not easy at first, and I was not fast enough. However, I then tried to put myself under less pressure and clear my head, which worked pretty well. My job in race two was not to let the cars in front get too far away from me, which I managed to do. Mattis then brought home the third place.”
Mattis Pluschkell (third): “I felt more comfortable in the car today than I did yesterday, but I also changed my driving style a bit. During my stint I was closing in on Sven all the time. However, I then spent a long time behind him, because he made himself wide and knows how to defend. I then tried to pass on the final lap, we made contact, and I spun. I think it was a racing incident, with Sven a little more guilty than me, because he was behind me at the point of contact.”
